Gasoline at $2.03? That’s only the half-gallon price

Outdated pumps that couldn’t price gasoline above $3.999 a gallon can now post the half-gallon price, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Division of Weights and Measures.

Service station operators will have to apply to use the half-price approach. It’s not clear how many service stations face this situation locally, although state officials estimated that no more than 5 percent of the state’s 6,500 retail gas stations, with more than 90,000 pumps, are affected.

And the full-gallon price will still have to be prominently displayed on signs around the station. The pump, meanwhile, will state that the prices being displayed are “one-half total sale” and “one-half price per gallon.” Consumers will have to double the sale total to find out how much they actually owe.

Agriculture and Markets spokeswoman Jessica Chittenden said the stations with the pumps are typically older, independently owned and often in rural areas. Some seasonal stations, such as those at marinas, also are affected.

There is a fix. Service stations can install a replacement computer. But the primary domestic manufacturer has a 13-week backlog, while a regional equipment rebuilder is reporting backlogs of 17 weeks, according to the Department of Agriculture and Markets.

Stations can use the half-price approach until they’ve upgraded to a new or rebuilt pump computer.

The half-price option orginally was added to state regulations in the early 1980s when gasoline prices topped $1.999 a gallon, and was used again in 2005 when they topped $2.999 per gallon.

This time, the replacement computers go to $9.999 a gallon, so station owners shouldn’t have a problem until gas reaches $10.

Great idea, lets not make the oil companies spend any of their billions in profit to upgrade pumps to sell their gas,lets just give them a consession. Maybe they might give us some real answers, yeah right, another State idiot making it easier for the oil companies, what is wrong with people ? Yeah I know the State answer ” we dont want to hurt the small independents “, another crock, how do I know ? I used to work for the State.

What’s the problem? For the part 40+ years the filling stations in Europe have priced their product by the LITER!! It doesn’t make it any less expensive, it’s just a marketing thing. Everyone will be SOOOOO happy when they see $1.04 on the pumps…..

By the way, I’ll start getting worried when the bottled water folks start comlaining about their plunging sales. I can fill 12,000 Aqua Fina bottles from my tap for $2.40, the very same stuff Pepsi is selling. And if you want me to run it through my Brita water filter I’ll only charge you a few cents more per bottle.